This application relates to methods and apparatus pertaining to a SIM tray that includes a deformable portion. When the SIM tray is subjected to stresses that result from tolerance stacking, the deformable portion accommodates the differences tolerance errors by allowing the non-deformable portion of the SIM tray to move substantially independently from one another. Creating the deformable portion can be accomplished by utilizing materials with lower relative moduli of elasticity, dovetails, magnets, or other means.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection. Each claim is shown in both the original legal language and a plain English translation.
1. A subscriber identification module (SIM) tray assembly suitable for use with a portable electronic device having a housing, the SIM tray assembly comprising: an external portion having an externally facing wall, the external portion capable of being received in a SIM slot opening of the housing; a tray portion having a body comprising an opening having a recessed supporting feature configured to support a SIM card; and a magnetic interface that attaches together the external portion and the tray portion wherein when the external portion and the tray portion are installed in the portable electronic device, the magnetic interface maintains the externally facing wall flush with an exterior surface of the housing regardless of movement of the tray portion within the housing.
A SIM tray for a phone has two main parts: an external part that's visible on the phone's exterior and sits flush with the phone's surface, and a tray part that holds the SIM card inside the phone. These two parts are held together by a magnetic connection. This magnetic connection ensures the external part stays flush with the phone's surface, even if the tray part moves slightly inside the phone due to manufacturing differences or other internal stresses.
2. The SIM tray assembly of claim 1 , wherein the tray portion comprises interlocking features that couple to interlocking features of the tray portion to limit movement of the external portion with respect to the tray portion to a first direction.
The SIM tray assembly includes interlocking parts on the external portion and the tray portion (as described in the previous SIM tray assembly with a magnetic interface that keeps the external portion flush). These interlocking parts allow the external portion to move relative to the tray portion, but only in one direction. This limits the ways the two parts can move relative to each other.
3. The SIM tray assembly of claim 2 , wherein the interlocking features of the tray portion and the external portion limit the direction of movement of the external portion with respect to the tray portion to a single direction.
Building upon the design of the SIM tray assembly where interlocking features couple to limit movement to one direction (as described in the previous SIM tray assembly with interlocking parts on the external and tray portions), the interlocking parts are specifically designed so that the external portion can only move in a *single* direction relative to the tray portion. Any other movement is blocked.
4. The SIM tray assembly of claim 1 , wherein the external portion comprises magnetic elements and the tray portion is formed of a magnetically attractable material.
In this version of the SIM tray assembly (as described in the SIM tray assembly with a magnetic interface), the external part contains magnets. The tray part is made of a material that's attracted to magnets, like steel. This magnetic attraction holds the two parts together.
5. A subscriber identification module (SIM) tray assembly, comprising: an external portion configured to cover a SIM slot of a mobile device; a tray portion comprising an opening having a recessed supporting feature configured to support a SIM card; and an magnetic interface between the external portion and the tray portion, the interface configured to constrain relative movement between the external portion and the tray portion in a first direction and facilitate movement between the external portion and the tray portion in a second direction different from the first direction.
This SIM tray design includes an external part that covers the SIM slot on a phone, a tray part that holds the SIM card, and a magnetic connection between them. The magnetic interface is designed to restrict movement between the external and tray parts in one direction, but allows movement in a different direction. This allows the tray to move, but only in a controlled way.
6. The SIM tray assembly of claim 5 , wherein the interface comprises one or more protrusions that interlock with one or more channels.
In this version of the SIM tray (as described in the SIM tray assembly with a magnetic interface constraining movement in one direction), the magnetic connection uses protrusions and channels that fit together like puzzle pieces. These interlocking shapes control how the external and tray parts move relative to each other.
7. The SIM tray assembly of claim 5 , wherein the interface further comprises: a channel defined by an interior facing surface of the external portion; and a protrusion integrally formed with the tray portion and trapped within the channel, wherein the channel is oriented along the second direction and allows movement of the external portion with respect to the tray portion in the second direction.
In this version of the SIM tray (as described in the SIM tray assembly with a magnetic interface constraining movement in one direction), the magnetic connection includes a channel on the inside of the external part and a matching protrusion on the tray part. The protrusion fits inside the channel, and the channel's shape allows the external part to slide relative to the tray part in one specific direction.
8. The SIM tray assembly of claim 5 , wherein the magnetic interface comprises: a first group of magnetic elements integrated in the external portion; and a second group of magnetic elements integrated in an area of the tray portion proximate to the external portion, wherein the first and second groups of magnetic elements are magnetically attracted to each other.
The magnetic interface in this SIM tray (as described in the SIM tray assembly with a magnetic interface constraining movement in one direction) has two sets of magnets. One set is built into the external part. The other set is on the tray part, close to the external part. These magnets attract each other, holding the two parts together.
9. The SIM tray assembly of claim 8 , wherein the first and second groups of magnetic elements are formed from ferromagnetic material.
In this SIM tray assembly with two sets of magnets (as described in the SIM tray assembly with two sets of magnets on the tray and external portions), the magnets are made from a ferromagnetic material.
10. The SIM tray assembly of claim 8 , wherein at least a portion of the first and second groups of magnetic elements are rare earth element magnets.
In this SIM tray assembly that has two sets of magnets (as described in the SIM tray assembly with two sets of magnets on the tray and external portions), at least some of the magnets are made of rare earth element magnets.
11. A mobile device, comprising: a housing defining an interior volume; a slot formed in the housing that facilitates access to the interior volume from the exterior of the housing; an electrical component disposed within the interior volume, the electrical component comprising a plurality of electrical contacts; and a subscriber identification module (SIM) tray assembly inserted into the slot so that a SIM card supported by the SIM tray assembly contacts the plurality of electrical contacts, the SIM tray assembly comprising: an external portion that covers the slot, the external portion comprising magnetic material, a tray portion having a SIM card opening that has a recessed supporting feature that supports the SIM card, the tray portion comprising magnetic material, and a magnetic interface where the magnetic material of the external portion interacts with the magnetic material of the tray portion to couple together the external portion and the tray portion such that the external portion remains flush with an exterior surface of the housing regardless of movement of the tray portion at the interior volume of the housing.
A mobile phone has a body with a slot for a SIM tray. Inside, there's an electronic component with electrical contacts. A SIM tray fits into the slot, allowing a SIM card to touch the contacts. The SIM tray has two parts: an external part covering the slot, and a tray part holding the SIM. Both parts contain magnetic material. The magnetic interaction keeps the external part flush with the phone's surface, even if the tray part moves inside the phone.
12. The mobile device of claim 11 , wherein the housing comprises chamfered features that help guide the SIM tray assembly.
The phone described with the SIM tray (as described in the mobile device with an internal SIM tray using magnetic material) has angled or rounded edges around the SIM slot. These chamfered features help guide the SIM tray smoothly into the slot.
13. The mobile device of claim 11 , wherein the electrical component is supported by standoffs that support the electrical component above an internal surface of the housing.
In the phone with the SIM tray (as described in the mobile device with an internal SIM tray using magnetic material), the electrical component that connects to the SIM card is raised above the phone's internal surface. This is achieved using standoffs (small supports).
14. The mobile device of claim 13 , wherein manufacturing tolerances resulting from the manufacture of the standoffs, the electrical component and the housing all cooperate to generate the movement of the tray portion in the slot.
In the phone with the SIM tray and raised electrical components (as described in the mobile device with an internal SIM tray using magnetic material with standoffs), small variations in the size of the standoffs, the electrical component, and the phone's body all add up. These tolerance differences cause the tray part of the SIM tray to move slightly within the slot.
15. The mobile device of claim 11 , wherein the movement of the tray portion in the slot is caused by tolerance stacking of components internal to the mobile device.
The movement of the tray part inside the phone slot is due to a "tolerance stack" (as described in the mobile device with an internal SIM tray using magnetic material). This means that small differences in the sizes of various internal components all add up to cause the tray part to shift slightly.
16. The mobile device of claim 11 , wherein the magnetic interface comprises one or more tapered protrusions integrally formed with the tray portion that interlock with one or more channels defined by an interior facing surface of the external portion of the SIM tray assembly.
The magnetic connection in this SIM tray (as described in the mobile device with an internal SIM tray using magnetic material) is designed with interlocking shapes. The tray part has tapered protrusions that fit into channels on the inside of the external part.
17. The mobile device of claim 11 , wherein the magnetic material of the tray portion and the external portion each comprises a magnet.
In this phone with a magnetic SIM tray (as described in the mobile device with an internal SIM tray using magnetic material), both the tray part and the external part have their own magnets. These magnets attract each other to hold the assembly together.
18. The mobile device of claim 11 , wherein the tray portion is formed of a magnetically attractable metal and the external portion comprises an array of magnets.
The tray part of this SIM tray is made of metal that's attracted to magnets (as described in the mobile device with an internal SIM tray using magnetic material). The external part has a group of magnets that attract the metal of the tray portion.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
September 29, 2014
May 23, 2017
Browse 5M+ US patents with plain-English claim translations and AI-generated analysis.